Concealed Carry State Laws In Arizona

Concealed carry laws, or CCW’s, in Arizona refers to the legally issued permit which allows for the carrying of a handgun or other weapon in a concealed manner within any place open to the general public.

Not all weapons that fall under concealed carry state laws in Arizona are lethal, there are some states that regulate non-lethal items such a pepper spray that are carried over a set volume requiring the obtaining of a CCW permit. (In some states non-lethal items require a separate permit)

Every State's Concealed Carry Laws Are Unique In Arizona

While in Arizona there is no current federal law that specifically address the issuance of concealed carry permits for private citizens as each state is responsible for the control of concealed carry permits within its sovereign borders. All 50 states have passed laws allowing their respective residents to carry certain concealed firearms in public, either without a permit or after obtaining a permit from their local Sheriff’s office or Chief of police.

In all states and in Arizona the only federal law concerning CCW’s is the Peace Officer Safety Act of 2004, (H.R. 218) to lean about this and all other states Concealed Carry Laws see our database on our website US Precision Defense where we maintain a comprehensive listing of every States weapons laws.

The Arizona state constitution states: The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the State shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain, or employ an armed body of men.

Arizona residents who are at least 21 years old can carry a concealed weapon without a permit as of July 29, 2010. Arizona is only the third state in recent U.S. history that allows the carrying of concealed firearm without a CCW permit, and it is the first state with a large urban population to make this move. (The other two states are Alaska and Vermont.)

Arizona is classified as a "shall issue" state, which means if an individual meets all the legal requirements the CCW issuing authority MUST issue the CCW Permit. Even though Arizona law allows concealed carry by adults without a CCW permit, concealed carry permits are still available and issued by the Concealed Weapons Permit Unit of the Arizona Department of Public Safety for purposes of reciprocity with other states or for carrying firearms in certain regulated places.

Also, No state permit is required to possess a shotgun, rifle (Or handgun.) Arizona does have a list of restricted areas, building, and activities that do not allow the carrying of firearm. Although no CCW permit is required to carry concealed if you are stopped by any law enforcement officer and fail to notify themimmediately upon initial contact that you are carrying a concealed weapon you can and will be arrested and charged with a felony.

In a very bold move Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed two gun laws. One would forbid cities and counties from destroying weapons they obtained through gun-buyback programs. Instead, they must resell them so that guns purchased by police departments to get them off the streets will then be put right back on the streets.

Governor Brewer and other supporters of this brilliant bit of lawmaking say they think local governments should be able to make money off the guns. The true reason was more honestly stated in a letter from the National Rifle Association on April 22 that said “this measure would ensure that taxpayer resources are not utilized to pursue a political agenda of destroying firearms.” To learn more about Arizona gun law go to our home page on US Precision Defense.

Gun Control Facts: California is the Most Anti-Gun, Arizona the Most Pro-Gun! Recently in response to a gun law signed into law the governor’s office stated they received more than 1900 pleas for Governor Brewer to sign the new law, The effort was organized by the Arizona Citizens Defense League. On the other hand the Governor’s office reported that they only received twenty-five messages in favor of a veto.

Arizona lawmakers are taking aim at President Obama's gun control policies with a new bill. "It's basically thanks but no thanks to the Federal Government for things that infringe on our 2nd Amendment rights" said co-sponsor of the bill Rep. Steve Smith. President Obama knows state laws can't override federal laws but thinks it might be enough to force any stricter gun laws to court. "When if so obviously goes against what our citizens want the states are compelled to take these steps and I think it's up for discussion." The bill would also make Arizona exempt from any new federal restrictions on semi-automatic firearms and magazines and new registration rules. If passed you can bet on this one is going all the way to the US Supreme Court for states’ rights!

The states that we considered to be the top of our list of pro-gun states were Arizona, Vermont, Alaska, Utah, and Kentucky. These days, it’s becoming more difficult for gun owners across the country to find safe haven, as the powers that be at both the federal and state levels begin introducing a quagmire of anti-gun legislation hindering the rights of law-abiding citizens, and yes even in Arizona there are those liberals that are determined to get Arizona’s laws changed, yet as long as the citizens stand up for their rights as they have, and they keep elected officials like Governor Brewer in office Arizona will remain the number 1 ranked state for gun owners’ rights.

There is one drawback to Arizona’s “Constitutional Carry” laws and that some states such as Nevada has cancelled their reciprocity agreements with Arizona as there is no qualification (shooting at the range and acquiring a score for marksmanship) to obtain a CCW permit. Nevada and some other states will only maintain reciprocity agreements with states that require a firearms proficiency test. To see where an Arizona CCW permit is accepted go to our “Home” page and view our on-line reciprocity maps for every state in the U.S.

U.S. Precision Defense assumes no liability and is not responsible for the actions of its members or readers of this website. The materials provided here are the opinions of the authors, are intended solely for education purposes, and should not be relied on for legal or professional advice. Laws relating to firearms and the use of deadly force vary from state to state, and each individual is responsible for compliance with the laws of each jurisdiction. If legal or other professional advice is needed, consult a lawyer or other professionals. All materials on this website are copyrighted to U.S. Precision Defense and may not be republished without permission from U.S. Precision Defense.